22 Feb 2018

As is the case with any medical facility, East Texas Medical Center (ETMC) has a great need for reliable security solutions. With patient and staff safety at the forefront of their business, ETMC’s security team is responsible for managing a comprehensive security system across their multi-facility healthcare organisation. Not only is that security system necessary to protect staff and patients, but also ETMC as an entity. The propensity of questionable incident reports among patients, including on-site injuries, can be cause for costly litigation processes.

Because of an outdated legacy system, reliable footage to combat claims was often unavailable, so ETMC began searching for a solution that would help them avoid the costly processes necessary to verify claims across numerous facilities, while bringing additional value to their business.

Flexible surveillance solutions Available in both bullet and dome formats, H4 cameras are high quality yet cost-effective

That’s where Avigilon’s flexible and scalable solutions came in. The final set of hardware installed featured more than 500 cameras, including Avigilon HD Pro, HD Dome, and H4 SL dome cameras. The HD Pro cameras—available with up to 7K (30 MP)—provide excellent image detail in a variety of settings throughout each campus, including parking lots and extended campus perimeters. The quality of images these cameras provide coupled with their resilience against the elements makes them crucial for monitoring critical areas of high foot and vehicle traffic. The inclusion of the H4 SL camera further expanded ETMC’s security capabilities with its versatile and flexible formats. Available in both bullet and dome formats, H4 cameras are high quality yet cost-effective, making them ideal for general surveillance requirements in various settings.

All of the chosen solutions were flexible and scalable, enabling ETMC to gradually replace equipment across their various locations over time. “The variety of different products allow for specification of camera sizes and lenses which saves a lot of time from testing different brands of cameras,” said Kenneth Webb, Director of Security at ETMC. “It’s much easier to use than previous systems, and the team loves using it.”

Avigilon Control Center allowed the operator to pull footage from 14-15 different camera views and lace them into one Integrated video monitoring

The ETMC team felt their new Avigilon solutions allowed them to deal with previously challenging security situations more efficiently. For instance, with all camera footage integrated into Avigilon Control Centre (ACC) video management software, the team at ETMC can pull footage from multiple cameras and weave them together to create one holistic view of events when they happen, giving ETMC more effective evidence for investigation.

After a threatening incident took place in the peripheral of an ETMC campus, the security team utilised the ACC software to create a powerful narrative of events. “This integrated footage has already been used as evidence in court,” reports Webb. “Avigilon Control Center allowed the operator to pull footage from 14-15 different camera views and lace them into one.”

Having access to this comprehensive example of evidence was not only necessary to protect the individuals involved, but it provided ETMC with credible, clear footage protecting the company in itself. Working together, Avigilon and East Texas Medical Center achieved the healthcare system’s mission of offering exceptional service by using reliable and effective security technologies. The solutions implemented provide East Texas residents with safe and secure experiences, resulting in comfort for patients and staff, as well as overall protection of ETMC’s network and business.